New Rasmussen poll shows Ted Cruz is third most influential person to Americans

Eleven percent of Americans think Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is the most influential person in the world this year, according to a new poll by Rasmussen reports that ranked the most prominent people worldwide.

Cruz came in third place in the poll, behind Pope Francis — who was recently named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year — and President Barack Obama, who totaled 23 and 21 percent of the poll’s results, respectively.

Cruz became a household name this year with his outspoken attempts to repeal and defund the Affordable Care Act, which set the scene for a government shutdown in October.